With a history dating back nearly a 100 years, NEVEMA B.V. is no newborn to the trade. It all started in 1918 with the joint cooperation of several Dutch producers of laths- and thread bales for use in stables and poultry farms, called the Peat Moss sales agency (Verkoopbureau Turfstrooisel). From the agency evolved the N.V. Turfstrooiselkantoor (Peat Moss Office) established in 1936. New developments employed were successful and export numbers went up until the outbreak of World War II, when lack of material and shortage of labour lamed the Dutch peat industry.
By the year 1949 however, all the mills were back in production and the 5 remaining participants of the Peat Moss Office now focussed on poultry farming and…Horticulture. During these times of recovery and innovation, studies in the horticultural field had proved peat to be an extremely suitable raw material for potting soil and substrates. The 1960’s and 70’s was a period of economic growth for the Peat moss office, expanding its product range and shifting towards horticulture. Meanwhile, successful attempts to convince Trio, a long-time player and financial contributor to the horticultural peat study, to join the Peat Moss office, eventually established the N.V. NEVEMA (NEderlandse VEenprodukten MAatschappij) in 1970. The merging proved to be successful and product expansion and economic growth during the 1970’s, resulted in importing increased amounts of German and also Scandinavian, Irish and Baltic peat.
The 1980’s was a time of development and restructuring. The German company Strenge GmbH, a renowned peat moss producer entered in 1990, followed by the linking of Irish Bord na Mona one year later. In the year that follows Mr. Leo Schipper, previously active for several peat moss companies, is appointed managing director. Today, the Schipper family still continues to do so.